Module 4

MY RUSSIA: THIS IS THE COUNTRY WHERE I LIVE

Warming up. Read and dramatize the following dialogues. Make up your own short situations based on the dialogues you have just read.

A. Introducing Your Country

Alexander: Hello, my name is Alexander. I am from Russia.

Jessie: Nice to meet you, Alexander. I am Jessie, and I live in the United States. Tell me, please, what city you are from?

Alexander: I am from Moscow. This is the capital of Russia as you might know.

Jessie: Of course! I would love to visit this city.

Alexander: It’s a very large mega polis.

Jessie: Tell me more about your country.

Alexander: Well, Russia is the largest state in the world. It consists of republics, oblasts (provinces), okrugs (districts) and krais (territories). All in all, it covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia.

Jessie: Yes, the size is enormous.

Alexander: The total area of Russia is about 17 million square kilometers.

Jessie: Where is your city located?

Alexander: Moscow is located in western Russia, in the European part of the country.

Jessie: Why Moscow is called “Moscow”? Does it mean anything?

Alexander: Moscow is located on the Moscow River, for which the city was named.

Jessie: I see. And what can you say about the temperature in your country? It is supposed to be very cold.

Alexander: It is very cold in Siberia and in the northern part of Russia. As for Moscow, the climate is quite moderate and mild.

B. Talking about the Peoples in Russia

Roger: Hi, I am Roger. I live in Great Britain. And you?

Sayana: How do you do, Roger! I am very pleased to meet you. I am Sayana.

Roger: How do you do, Sayana! Where are you from?

Sayana: I am from Russia.

Roger: Really? But you look Asian.

Sayana: I know. Russia has lots of nationalities and local ethnicities inside of the state. There are not only Russians like many foreigners see them on the pictures or in movies about Russia. The Russian population is very diverse. There are Tatars, Yakuts, Kalmyks, Bashkirs, Komi peoples and many others. And all they look different. I am a Buryat. We are native peoples of the republic of Buryatia in the Eastern Siberia. But we are all Russians because we live in the Russian Federation.

Roger: This is so interesting. Now I know much more about the peoples of Russia.

Words and Phrases for the Topic:

a state –государство; the head of the state –глава государства

a federal parliamentary republic – федеративная парламентская республика; a federal subject – федеральный субъект

the legislative power – законодательная власть

a krai –край, a republic – республика; a district, an okrug– округ

an autonomous okrug – автономный округ

an oblast’ –область, a territory –территория

to be formed –быть сформированным

to be officially known – быть официально известным

a permanent member – постоянный член

a leading member –лидирующий член

the G8 (the Group of 8 states) – международная Группа Восьми, «большая восьмерка», the G20 (the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors) – международная Группа Двадцати, «большая двадцатка»

the Council of Europe – совет Европы

to share borders – делить границы

to have maritime borders – иметь морские границы

to extend – простираться, расширяться

forest reserves – лесные ресурсы

mineral resources – полезные ископаемые, недра

to be rich in – быть богатым, иметь в наличие

a variety of scenery and vegetation –разнообразие ландшафта и растительности; the vast territory –обширная территория

plains –равнины

mountain chains – горные цепи

a temperate climate – умеренный климат

TEXT 1

The Russian Federation – the Largest Country in the World

Read the text paying attention to the new vocabulary and say what makes our country so unique.

Russia officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation is a state in northern Eurasia. It is a federal parliamentary republic, which consists of 83 federal subjects. The Russian Federation was formed in December1991.

From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the United States by the Bering Strait.

At 17, 075, 400 square kilometers, Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the ninth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, having nine time zones. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources. It has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. Russia has steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga on the north, highlands and deserts in the east.

There are two Great Plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. There are several mountains chains on the territory of the country: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.

There are over two million rivers in Russia. Europe's biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian Rivers are the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena- flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world's deepest lake is Lake Baikal. It is much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there is much more water in it than in the Baltic Sea. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom.

Russia has one-sixth of the world's forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East.

On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

Russia is very reach in oil, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial center. It's one of the oldest Russian cities. It was founded in 1147 by Youry Dogoruki.

Russia is a great power and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a member of the G8, G20, the Council of Europe, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Eurasian Economic Community, and is the leading member of the Commonwealth of Independent States.